1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a saccharide composition comprising maltooligosyl derivative of turanose (hereinafter designated as "maltooligosylturanose") and maltooligosyl derivative of palatinose (hereinafter designated as "maltooligosylpalatinose"), its preparation and uses; more particularly, it relates to a saccharide composition comprising maltooligosylturanose and maltooligosylpalatinose, a process for producing the saccharide composition comprising a step of allowing a non-reducing saccharide-forming enzyme to act on maltooligosylsucrose, and to a composition containing the saccharide composition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Turanose and palatinose are reducing disaccharides consisting of glucose and fructose moieties and having chemical structures of 3-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-fructose and 6-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-fructose, respectively.
As is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.252,974/93, it is known that turanose is produced by allowing cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase to act on aqueous solutions containing amylaceous substances and fructose. While palatinose is known that, as disclosed in "Seito-Gijutsu-Kenkyu-Kaishi", No.34, pp.37-44 (1985), it is produced from sucrose using .alpha.-glucosidase from a strain of the species Protaminobacter rubrum. These saccharides are known that (i) they have a relatively-low sweetness and less induce dental caries, (ii) they are expected to be used as a material to sweeten food products, (iii) they are readily crystallized, (iv) they could not be readily prepared into high-concentration syrups, and (v) they should be treated or handled in a manner that they may not be crystallized even when used in highly sweetened food products such as bean jams and sweet jellies of beans. The development of non-crystalline oligosaccharides having a higher molecular weight, a satisfactory viscosity-controlling ability, a moisture-controlling ability, and a preferable sweetness, has been greatly expected.